Chapter 3 - Six Letters That Never Arrived
Lily fell asleep during observation.
Rosa sat beside the hospital bed while Ethan stood at the window.
For nearly twenty minutes, neither spoke.
Then Ethan finally turned.
“Tell me about the letters.”
Rosa looked at Lily.
She lowered her voice.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
Rosa leaned back.
“I wrote the first one when I found out I was pregnant.”
Ethan’s face tightened.
“I went to your apartment first.”
“The doorman said you had left.”
“My father collapsed two days after the fundraiser in Boston.”
“I didn’t know.”
“I flew to London because he was receiving treatment there.”
Rosa nodded slowly.
“Your office wouldn’t give me information.”
“My father controlled most of my staff then.”
“I called more than twenty times.”
Ethan looked sick.
“Rosa.”
“I’m not blaming you for everything.”
“But that’s what happened.”
She continued.
“I sent the first letter to Caldwell Holdings.”
“I sent the second to your apartment.”
“A third went to your family’s New York residence.”
“A fourth went to your London office.”
Ethan frowned.
“And the others?”
“One after Lily was born.”
“One when she was six months old.”
“What did they say?”
Rosa looked down.
“The first one said I was pregnant.”
“The second said I wasn’t asking for money.”
“The third said I just wanted you to know.”
Her voice grew quieter.
“The fifth had a photograph of Lily.”
Ethan lowered himself into the chair opposite her.
“You sent me a photograph of my daughter?”
“Yes.”
“And I never saw it.”
“No.”
Ethan rubbed both hands across his face.
His phone vibrated again.
This time it was his estate manager, Harold Pierce.
Ethan answered.
“What?”
Harold sounded nervous.
“Mr. Caldwell, Miss Haynes has requested that Ms. Martinez’s belongings be removed from the employee quarters.”
Ethan became completely still.
“She did what?”
“She said Rosa was terminated.”
Ethan stood.
“Victoria does not employ anyone in my house.”
“Understood.”
“Nothing belonging to Rosa or Lily gets touched.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Harold?”
“Yes?”
“Change every security access code Victoria has.”
A long pause followed.
“Immediately?”
“Immediately.”
Rosa stared at him.
Ethan disconnected.
“You don’t need to do that because of me.”
“I’m not doing it because of you.”
He looked toward Lily.
“I’m doing it because a woman who assaulted a child apparently thinks she still controls my house.”
Rosa looked away.
The anger in Ethan’s voice frightened her.
Not because she believed he would hurt Victoria.
Because she remembered how powerful he truly was.
Their relationship years earlier had happened away from his empire.
She had known Ethan the man.
Not Ethan Caldwell the billionaire.
Now those two identities stood in the same room.
“Ethan.”
He looked at her.
“Don’t destroy her because you’re angry.”
He gave a humorless smile.
“She almost cracked our daughter’s head open.”
“I know.”
“But Lily doesn’t need revenge.”
“She needs stability.”
That stopped him.
Rosa continued.
“And before you decide what role you want in her life, we need certainty.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“You want a DNA test.”
“I do.”
Ethan nodded without hesitation.
“So do I.”
Rosa looked surprised.
“Not because I doubt you.”
His gaze moved to Lily.
“I need nobody else to ever be able to.”
Then his phone buzzed again.
This time the message came from his attorney.
ETHAN, CALL ME IMMEDIATELY.
VICTORIA’S FATHER JUST CONTACTED THE BOARD.
May you like
Ethan stared at the screen.
The family battle had already begun.
